Want a quiet, peaceful beach on Lake Michigan? One that has picnic tables, a ramped deck on top of…read morethe dune (thank you, city of South Haven, for providing handicap accessibility), and best of all in this town, a restroom with changing areas that stays open past dusk? Enter Packard Park - it's 2 parks north of North Beach, is free, and is the quietest beach in town. You'll head down a short dune and then find the big lake. People bring chairs or towels. The entrance to the water is sandy, and the bottom is firmer than that of South Beach, by the pier. You can see the pier in the distance, just south. Up by the parking lot, you'll see several picnic tables, a grill, and a restroom. The women's has two toilet stalls and two changing stalls - WITH DOORS! thank you. The park is open until 10. Often, when we swim at dusk, we get out of the water too late to change in the North or South Beach bathrooms. NO worries of that here. No lifeguard. Plenty of parking, and a grassy area for kids to run around on if you're cooking dinner before (or after) swimming.

The park itself does not offer much. It has little shade but it does offer sunset views and…read morebenches. There are plenty of other viewing spots at the neighboring beaches.

This place is the ultimate for family fun! And our lunch was delightful too!…read more If you are near Paw Paw Lake, South Haven or even Saugatuck it is worth swinging over here for a day or two. Mini golf, kayaking, pickle ball and more. We had lunch there-the food was good but they could use a few more vegetarian items on the menu.

Jacob D (Firewater Grill) was a great server however:…read more We got there at 12:45 & ordered 5 mins later. At 1:05 we asked where the side salad was. The side salad came at 1:20 about 5 mins before the pizza came. The cucumber on the side salad was going bad . It amazes me that no one noticed these things and just sends out decaying food. The side salad itself was very small for 5.00. The pizza looked good but had very little sausage or mushrooms. The sauce was very bland with no spices in it. If you are at the water park it would be an ok (expensive place) to grab a meal but as someone like us to go strictly for the restaurant it was a disappointment. It's an open atmosphere inside with both high tops & regular tables. It is a farm like theme and clean. No return trip

Depending on the weather, this beach can be very rocky, or very sandy, and often both…read more This is a great beach for rock hunting anytime, and even if it's extra rocky because of heavy rain or wind, there's still nice sandy areas of beach. There's also one very large dune area that takes quite an effort to climb, but is very fun.

On the recommendation of folks at the main Park Headquarters, we walked through the woods on one…read moreof the few trails here, all leading to sandy bluffs that rise above Lake Michigan. We were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the truly colorful shades of blue of the Lake. Combined, the trails are only about 3 miles in length since this is a narrow, alongside-the-lake State Park & the trails go from the main roadway, to the top of the bluffs & then back again to the roadway. Further down that roadway is a campground, a good amount of parking, a playground, picnic tables, grills, open fields, and, the best part of all, the mile long beach, which is comprised of super soft sand, space to stretch out, a not-as-enjoyable view of a water treatment plant, & the fun of collecting smooth, soft stones that dot the beach, The waters of Lake Michigan don't come much above your waist for a good 75-100 feet, so it's easy to stay cool while you stand around with sisters (that was us!), and others. Parking is $11/day

Very nice, clean, beautiful beach. They had bathrooms and a concession stand up by the pier. Plenty…read moreof parking when we went but it was the start of off season. Parking is $10 from May 15th -September 15th. Totally worth $10 to not have to walk far to the beach. The beach wasn't over busy but again, we went towards the end of the season.

South Beach and North Beach are the big kahunas in South Haven, and I have to say after a day at…read moreboth, South Beach gets the slight nod! For starters, this beach feels massive; one end has the pier and lighthouse, plus a snack bar, gift shop, and the parking lots. The other end is just beach, so you can set up wherever you are most comfortable. We were at this beach on a Saturday in late July so it was PACKED, including the lunch hour at the snack bar. They handled the rush well and it all worked out just fine. We got a good spot, but also, people kinda set up right in front of us despite us being up against the water. It's a slog to walk up and down the stairs and into the neighborhoods here while carrying a day's worth of beach stuff, but we made it work. There's not a ton of parking so you'll need to be prepared to find a neighborhood spot and trek it. I do wish there was a bathroom on this end of the beach. Otherwise a nice variety of views, lots of people having fun, swimming, playing, digging, relaxing.. hard to go wrong!

North Beach is a little harder to get to than South Beach, which is easily accessible from the main…read morestrip of downtown. The entrance to the beach area is a tiny little side road that goes through the beach neighborhood houses. If you can navigate to it, it's totally worth the visit. The beach area is massive, and has small swings and a play area for kids, volleyball nets, and a standalone ice cream shop. Since it's across the canal, there are generally a lot less people on this side as well, and also several vacation rentals that sit right on the edge of the beach. I love riding my bike down here and watching the sunset .

I grew up going to both North or South Beach in South Haven and really have never thought too much…read moreabout which side I like more than the other other than sometimes it was based on crowd numbers. This trip, I had my Dad in tow, and he always loves the piers and walks out to the end, fisherman at heart. I hadn't put my toes in the warm Michigan sand or water since before moving to Florida in 2007, so I was excited about that and let my Dad wander off with my nephew while I walked along the water on the very short beach area now. I didn't care, I walked slowly along the water and let others walk around me. What I did love was that they now have boardwalks on the beach that let you get out to almost the water without having to walk on the hot yellow sand. In Clearwater, we have white sand so we can walk as slowly as we want without burning our feet. It's definitely something I love and don't miss about Michigan sand but bring up childhood memories. South Haven will always hold a special place in my heart, North and South Beach.

Yesss! Best $10 ever spent! Thank you Groupon! This was such a quick fun adventure and so easy. I…read morearrived and was helped by two young guys, just hanging out in their crate lol....I love that idea! They've got life jackets and give you some quick instruction before you head off. Paw Paw river is nestled between some nice homes and a golf course so you've got some nice views. Lots of wild life to see and a few bridges (watch your head please) If you're in the area and want a quick workout, please do this!

Really great experience and for so cheap! Joey was a real help to top it all off! Can't recommend…read moreenough bring the whole family

Nice little dog friendly beach for our pups first time at the beach! There were plenty of places to…read morepark but we got there pretty early. Short walk to the beach. It was a pretty small area and pretty packed but it was a holiday weekend when we went. Wasn't the most clean/pristine beach but we didn't expect that for a dog friendly beach. There were bathrooms up near the parking lot. Kind of a mixed sand rock beach but mostly sand. When we left, the parking lot was packed and people were lining the street, so I'd say go early if you want a parking spot.

One of the top highlights of our week stay in South Haven. This small secluded nature preserve has…read morea modest rocky beach perfect for small treasure hunting. At the beach we found geodes, lightening rocks, and sea glass. This area has a small 45ish car parking lot. It is dog friendly (dogs must be on leash and picked up after). There's a .33 mile trail that is not difficult. Park is free and a great way to spend some time in nature!

Skip and Nate were a breeze to work with and we had a great time out on the water. I called Kayak…read moreKayak to reserve two single kayaks and I received a text confirmation right away. We got to the meeting spot and our kayaks were ready for us to enjoy a morning of paddling on Pigeon River. It was $35 per kayak for a half day rental. I highly recommend this company to anyone looking to kayak in the Holland area.

This was an amazing find! Skip and Mark were amazingly easy to work with and incredibly kind. My…read moreparents and I were just looking for a fun quarantine activity to do on the 4th and were pleasantly surprised when we were told they would be available on such short notice and on the holiday no less! When we arrived they were already there and ready for us.The Pigeon River was beautiful, clean, and super relaxing. I would 10/10 recommend renting from Skip and I will definitely be a regular with these awesome folks! Thanks again guys!

Captain Jeff gave my family a great memory. Five guys went on the charter and got 6 fish; Two of…read morethe fish were salmon. He was prompt, knowledgeable and had a great honey hole. Our crew were fishing rookies and still brought back lots of fish.

Wow! If you like fishing, the professional and experienced captain and crew of the Silver King…read morewon't disappoint. We caught many pounds of King Salmon, Coho, Steelhead and Lake Trout over a period of three days. The captain used a combination of electronic equipment and common sense to find us fish. We used this charter several years ago, and when we returned to South Haven we were really happy to fish with them again!

My wife and I have been sailing with Captain Andy for years and would recommend to anyone in South…read moreHaven. He is from the area and takes the time to answer questions. You will have a great time on any of his sails.

Our darling son treated us to an end of the season sunset cruise…read more It was an excellent experience from start to finish. Captain Andy and First Mate Chloie greeted us warmly and introduced the other cruisers. Guests can sit on padded benches in the aft, two "princess seats" offering excellent views, and on the front deck. Chloie offered us bottled water and cans of La Croix. People can bring their own adult beverages. Below deck is a surprisingly roomy head/bathroom. All of us joined in a wide-ranging discussion of history, travel, family history, South Haven, a few corny jokes and the lake. Best part by far was an amazing sunset! I'd recommend First Coast to friends and family.